Cafeterias post 'right to
know' food allergy alerts

Food allergies can be life-threatening.
To minimize the chance of accidental exposure to a food that may trigger
an allergic reaction, the district's new food-service provider posts
"right to know" information in every school cafeteria. The information
-- kept in a binder -- lists ingredients in school food that are common
causes of food allergies. They include:

Milk and milk products

Egg and egg products

Peanut and peanut products

Tree nut and tree nut products

Soy and soy products

Fish and fish products

Shellfish and shellfish products

The binder does not list manufacturers
who also may process allergens (like peanuts) in other products they
produce. However, Whitson's requires its manufacturers to have practices in
place that minimize the possibility accidental contamination from other
products during the manufacturing process.

Any student with a severe food allergy should
NOT assume that a food is safe to eat and should always ask before eating
cafeteria food. That student's parent or guardian should contact the
food-service manager to discuss dietary needs and restrictions. Product
specifications are subject to change and manufacturers are not required by
law to provide updated ingredient declarations to Whitson's.

For more information, contact
Stephanie Lasher, Whitson's onsite food service director,
at 475-6644 or

Whitson's
Culinary Group provides breakfast and lunch to all schools in the City
School District of Albany.

Whitson's buys its produce
locally whenever it is available. All milk and chicken products it
offers are antibiotic- and
hormone-free. Also, bread and bread products are 100 percent whole grain
and contain no high-fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils.